The present invention relates to a gas turbine engine nose cone, particularly a turbofan gas turbine engine nose cone.
It is known from EP1016588A to provide a gas turbine engine nose cone comprising a spinner having a generally conical upstream portion and a generally cylindrical base portion having a flange removably connected to a fan hub of the gas turbine engine. A frustoconical fairing surrounds the base portion of the spinner and the outer surface of the fairing forms a continuation of the outer surface of the conical upstream portion of the spinner.
It is known from GB2011542A to provide a skin on the outer surface of a gas turbine engine nose cone to protect the nose cone from erosion.
A protective skin has been provided on the outer surface of a fairing of a nose cone comprising a spinner and a fairing, as discussed above. However, the fairing suffers from stripping of the protective skin from the upstream edge of the fairing in operation due to erosion. The protective skin peels off the fairing from the upstream end towards the downstream end in operation of the gas turbine engine due to centrifugal force.
Accordingly the present invention seeks to provide a novel gas turbine engine nose cone which reduces, preferably overcomes, the above mentioned problems.
Accordingly the present invention provides a gas turbine engine nose cone comprising a spinner having a generally tapering upstream portion and a generally cylindrical base portion, the cylindrical base portion having a flange removably connected to a fan hub of the gas turbine engine, a tapering fairing surrounding the base portion of the spinner, the outer surface of the fairing forms a continuation of the outer surface of the tapering upstream portion of the spinners the outer surface of the fairing having a skin to protect the fairing from erosion and a circumferentially extending protective member extending around the upstream end of the fairing to retain the skin on the upstream end of the fairing.
Preferably the skin comprises polyurethane.
Preferably the circumferentially extending protective member comprises a silicone elastomer.
Preferably a radially inner portion of the circumferentially extending protective member locates in an annular groove on the radially inner surface of the upstream end of the fairing.
Preferably the circumferentially extending protective member is bonded to the upstream end of the fairing.
Preferably the fairing comprises a fibre-reinforced material. Preferably the spinner comprises a fibre-reinforced material. Preferably the fairing comprises a radially inwardly extending lip to form a seal between the upstream end of the fairing and the spinner.
The present invention will be more fully described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: